Photo gallery: Sony VAIO VGN-FZ18GThe mid-size media centre laptop is a hard concept to get one's head around. Those interested in playing movies, especially via Blu-ray, are likely to want a 17-inch or larger display, while mainstream users often turn to 15-inch laptops for their mix of portability and pricing -- not a surfeit of media features. Still, there's no denying the appeal of a well-designed laptop, and the AU$3,999 Sony VAIO VGN-FZ18G is, like the rest of Sony's line, head and shoulders above the competition in that regard, second only to perhaps Apple. If the design and features appeal but you don't want the added expense of a Blu-ray drive, the VGN-FZ17G knocks AU$1,500 off the price by subbing in a plain-Jane DVD burner.
Design
Like much of the Sony VAIO laptop family, the VGN-FZ18G has a large VAIO logo embossed on the back of the lid, while the sharp, angular case eschews the recent trend toward soft, rounded edges. At only 34.5mm thick, it's slimmer than other recent 15-inch media-friendly laptops, such as the HP Pavilion dv6500 and the Dell Inspiron 6400.
Sony's flat-key keyboard is among our favourite laptop keyboards, but we wish the tiny touchpad mouse buttons were a little more substantial. Keeping with the multimedia theme, there's a four-way click-wheel above the keyboard that acts as a media control hub, offering fast-forward, rewind, play, and volume controls.
The 15.4-inch widescreen LCD display delivers a 1,280 x 800 native resolution, which is standard for a display this size. Showing off a little corporate synergy, Sony uses the same LCD technology found in its Bravia line of HDTVs which the company calls Xbrite, promising higher contrast and richer colours. The screen indeed looks excellent, especially when playing back a high-definition Blu-ray movie -- although at 1,280 x 800, it's not really true 1080p resolution. You'll need the HDMI output plugged into your big-screen TV to get the full 1080p Blu-ray experience.
Features
Clicking the AV Mode button above the keyboard pops up a toolbar with links to a Sony Webcam utility, Intervideo's WinDVD for playing back Blu-ray discs, and Sony's much maligned SonicStage music application (which pales in comparison to iTunes or Windows Media Player).
While the HDMI port is a no-brainer in a system with a Blu-ray drive, the lack of a Bluetooth antenna was disappointing, but won't be a deal breaker for most.
As a fixed-configuration system, you're stuck with the default specs of the VGN-FZ18G, but with a fast Core 2 Duo T7500 CPU running on an 800MHz frontside bus from Intel's new Centrino Duo line-up along with 1GB of RAM, Nvidia's new GeForce 8400M GT graphics card, and a decent-sized hard drive, we have no complaints.
Performance and Battery Life
The Sony VAIO VGN-FZ18G performed in line with other recent multimedia-friendly 15-inch laptops. We were able to, for example, play a Blu-ray movie, surf the Web, and work on an Excel file at the same time with no slowdown or stuttering.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
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The VGN-FZ18G ran for two hours two minutes on our DVD battery drain test, using the included lithium-ion battery. Two hours from a 15-inch laptop isn't especially impressive, but falls within acceptable parameters and was better than the HP dv6500. Our DVD battery drain test is especially gruelling, so you can expect longer life from casual Web surfing and office use.
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System configurations:
Sony VAIO VGN-FZ18G
Windows Vista Home Premium Edition; 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200; 1GB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GT; 160GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
HP Pavilion dv6500
Windows Vista Home Premium Edition; 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7500; 2GB DDR2 SDRAM; 128MB Nvidia 8400M GS; 200GB Toshiba 4,200rpm
Dell Inspiron 6400
Windows Vista Home Premium; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200; 2GB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz; 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon x1400; 100GB Hitachi 7,200rpm
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